Two-way switch



W. VAN GUILDER Dec, 1924 TWO WAY SWI TCH Filed Sept. 29, 1922 3 JWW Patented Dec. 39, 1924.

GT-NIA.

WALTER VAN stirrer-R or enrol-ice; ILLINOIS. ass'renen 'ro STEWART-r srnnnoivIETE-n fi'URtPGR'ATION, or onioaeo, r'rrrn'ors; A Corr -narrow (L2 QfBITEIt VIE TWO WAY SWITCH.

Application filed September 29,1922. Serial No; 591,205;

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVAL'rnn VAN Gunman, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago,- in the county of Cool: and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'lwolVay Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the act-om panying drawings, forming a part thereot.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a two-way switch of simple and economical construction, particularly adapted for alternately energizing two circuits containing distinctive signals. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the switch device with its several parts mounted together without the support or dash board upon which it is mounted iii-service.

Figure 2' is asection at the line, 2 2, on Figure 1 Figure 3 is a section at the line, 3? on Figure 2.

Figure 4: is a detail section on anenlarged scale, at the line, le-4, on Figure Figure 5 is a section of the line, 5-5, on Figure 2, the casing and contents being broken away at'both sides to disclose the operating handle in relation to the shaft at 55-.

Figure 6 is a detailsection 6-6, on Figure 5.

Figi-i-re 7 .is a detail section 77, on Figure 2. I

Figure 8- is a detail section at the line, 88, on Figure 2.

Figure 9 is a developed section in the arc line. 99,- on l i gure Figure 10 iswiring diagram of the switch and thesignal which it controls.

The structure shown in the drawings comp'i'ises a casing in Which are enclosed a contact carried by the switch lever and others mounted onthe casing,- said casing being designed and adapted tobe supported upon the back side or an instrument board or other moi-inting' member ol a motor vehicle to be served by the device, the face plate being mounted upon the opposite side of the board, the switch lever having a rock shat-t provided with an operating handle, said shaft extending through the board and through at the line,

at the line,

the face plate, and having the operating handle at the forward side of the board, the construction being such that only the contacts mentioned enter into the circuit at any time, the switch lever, its rockshattand operating handle, and all parts of the casing and the face plate being excluded from the circuit. A; specialfeature or the construction, as designed, is its adapt; m for mounting upon a support or board of any thickness, clamping the casing and the face plate together upon opposite sides of the mount or support, whatever it may be, the variation in thickness of said support being accommodated by the switch lever rock. sha-tt and its adaptation for telescoping through its bearings in the casing and through the switch lever held in the casing.

In the drawings the board or other supportis indicated at A. The casing coinprises twomembers,- B and B which are sheet metal stampings in the form oi flanged cups which are secured together with their cup cavities, 3 and i faci'n'g each other to form together asi-ngle'ch-amber, said members being united by means of their similar flanges, 5 and 6, which have each diametrically situated notches, 7 and 8, and on a diameter at right angles thereto, lugs, 9 and 10, struck and folded from similar notches 9, and 10 and said flanges having also diametrically opposite lugs, 11 and 12, and bolt apertures, 11 and-12,therethrough said lugs and apertures being in adian'ietric line bisecting the angle between the diametric lines in which the notches, 7 and 8, and the lugs, 9 and 10, respectively, are located. It results from this formation that the two members, P and B are identical in term, whereby when they are mounted upon each other with their cup cavities tacing and combined, the lugs, 9 and 1O. engage the notches, 7 and while the boll: apertur s 1 1 and 1-2, ofeach member are regil i d with those oithe other member. Said lugs 9 and-10 are clincheddon-n over the it of the opposite case member respect 1 and the registered bolt apertures serve for the bolts which clamp said casing ain t face plate herein-atter described, upon opposite sides of the support, A. The casing menr hers. B and B have apertures, and 5 till shaft, 18. Said bearings, 15 and 16, are dimensioned longitudinally with respect to the depth of the cup cavities in the casing members, 3 and 4, to space apart their proximate ends when the parts are assembled, the amount of the thickness of the switch lever, 17, which is a flat spring bar. For engaging the switch lever with its rock shaft, 18, so as to be rotated by the latter, and to permit the latter to telescope through the bear ings and through said lever for the purpose above indicated, a square opening is formed in said lever by striking and folding out of said aperture two lugs, 18, 18, which are folded to stand at right angles to the plane of the flat spring bar lever, and thereby constitute bearing surfaces at two opposite sides for the shaft, 18, which is square and fitted to said square aperture. The bearings, 15 and 16, at their opposite ends are interiorly diametered to the diagonal dimension of the square shaft, and at their proximate ends are counterbored to that diagonal dimension increased by the thick ness along the diagonal line, of the lugs, 18, 18; so that the shaft has its four corners, and the lugs at their outer corners bearing in said journal bearings, 15 and 16. In order that these more corner bearings may be adequate for centralizing the shaft and properly positioning the contact button hereinafter mentioned carried by the switch lever, the journal bearings, 15 and 16, are desirably of bronze, between which and the steel of which the shaft, 18, and the lever, 17, are composed there is a minimum wear. The switch lever carries at its free end a corn tact button, 20, insulated at its mounting on said switch lever. In the casing member, B in the arcuate path of movement of the contact button, 20, there are mounted three contacts, 21, 22 and 23, each insulated at its mounting in the casing, and each provided With a stem extending out through the casing wall, adapted exteriorly for a circuit wire connection. The several contacts, 21, 22 and 23, are relatively shaped so that the contact, 2 is adapted to snap into engagement with the contact, 22, and when so engaged to be out of contact wrtn both the con tacts, 21 and 23, and so that when said contact, 22, is snapped out of contact with the contact, 23, on the side toward the contact, 21, it is in contact at its opposite sides with both said contacts, 21 and 22, and when snapped out of contact on the other side of the contact. 22, it is in contact at its opposite sides with both said contacts, 22 and 23. As illustrated, this relation or form of the several contacts is obtained by making all the contacts, 21., 22 and 23, like each axially hollow and interiorly threaded from the outer end for receiving a binding screw, 25,

for the circuit wire connection, and reduced in diameter at the outer end to form a. stem,

26, Which extends through the casing wall and is flanged over a washer, 27, for securing the contact to the casing wall with insulating washers, 28, 28, interposed at opposite sides of said wall. The inner end of the contact is rounded over from inner to outer circumference at the inner end. The contact button, 20, has its head spheroidal, adapted to seat within the rounded annular inner end of the central contact, 22, and equally adapted to seat between the outer rounded edge of said contact, 22, and the outer rounded edge of either of the lateral contacts, 21 and 23, and to be snapped over the rounded edge of the contra] contact from one position to the other.

It will be understood that if a signal to be operated is contained in the circuit between the contact, 22 and the contact, 21, it will be energized by swinging the switch lever to snap the contact out of engagement with the contact, 22, and into the interval between the contacts, 22 and 21, and that any signals contained in the circuit between contacts, 22, and the contact, 23, will be energized by similarly snapping the button, 20, out of the contact, 22, and into the interval between 22 and 23.

The preferred or intended use of this switch device is for controlling a signal lamp which has two filaments for giving respectively a dim and a bright light, one of said filaments being in the circuit between the contacts, 22 and 21, and the other in the circuit between contacts, 22 and 23, as indicated in the wiring diagram, Figure 10. wherein the two-filament lamp is shown at 1O. Any two different signals may, however, be similarly controlled, said signals being located in said two circuits respectively, said two controls leing alternatively energized.

For mounting the casing on the support, such as the instrument board of the vehicle, and operating it and indicating to the operator the adjustment of the switch, whether at neutral position or for giving a dim or a bright light, a face plate, 30, is provided. having bolt apertures, adapted to be aligned respectively. through the board, A, with the apertures, 11 and 12, of the casing, so that by means of bolts, 31, 31, and the face plate may be c amped upon opposite sides of the instrument board, A. It is designed that the shaft, 18, shall be u'in'iarily mounted in the face plate and secured therein by means of the operating handle lever, 32. And for this purpose the face plate has a boss centrally apertured for journaling (he reduced end, 18 of the shaft, 18, the reduction of the shaft forming a stop shoulder at 18, a stop washer, being interposed on the reduced end portion of the shaft between said shoulder and the inner face of the face plate which is desirably counterbored, as

ill]

Ian

seen at 35, around the bore' throu'gh the boss for journaling the reduced end of the shaft. The shaft being insertech through said bore is driven into the hub; 32*, ofthe operating handle, 32', the two parts being designed to be rendered rigidly secured togetherby this means, by the familiar expedient of knurling' the end of the shaft, as shown at 18". For limiting the throw of the handle lever, and thereby the angular movement of the switch, there is set into the boss, 30, of the face plate, a pin, 37, which projects from the boss into an arcuate slot, 32 in the lever, 32, as seen in Figure 8.

The shaft, 18, may be squared throughout its entire length from the inner end to the shoulder, 18, and thereby is adapted to telescope through the square aperture in the switch lever, 18, and through the bearings, 15 and 16, to any extent necessary to clamp the support between the casing members, 13 B and the face plate. 30: and the said shaft, 18, is designedly made long enough to accommodate a board, A, of the maximum thickness likely to be found in the vehicle on which the device is to be mounted.

I claim j 1. In an electric switch device in combination with a mount, a spring switch lever fulcrumed therein; a contact button carried by the spring arm of said lever insulated therefrom; three insulated contacts positioned on the mount in the arcuate path of the switch-carried contact button each adapted for circuit wiring connections, said three contacts being shaped at their respectively approximate sides for snap engagement of the switch lever button between the middle and either extreme contact of the three. the middle of said contacts and the switch button being relatively shaped for interlocking snap engagement with each other, at a position of the switch button out of contact with either of the extreme contacts, and manual means for turning the switch lever to shift its contact button from position to position.

2. In the construction defined in claim 1 foregoing, the mount consisting of two cupped and flanged casing members mated as to their cupping and Hanging and secured together face to face for enclosing a chamber comprising the cup recesses of both members, journal bearings for the switch lever mounted in the two casing members for alignment when said casing members are assembled, the switch lever being extended between said bearings for engagement with a rock shaft for operating the same, and such rock shaft extended outside the casing provided exteriorly with an operating handle.

3. An electric switch for alternative closing of two circuits, comprising a casing, a switch lever fulcrumed therein and carrying a contact button; two contacts insulated on the casing in the arcuate path of the switcl'i carrying contact button adapted for independent circuit-wire connections, means constituting circuit connections from said but-ton for closing the circuits through the casing-mounted contacts, respectively; a shaft for the switch lever and journal bearings therefor within the casing, the switch lever being extended from the shaft between said journal bearings, the shaft having an operating handle outside the casing and being non circular in cross-section at and for a distance back from the end remote from the handle, the lever having a correspondingly non-circular aperture for rotative and sliding engagement with the shaft; whereby the shaft with its operating handle may be applied by inserting the shaft through the bearings and the switch lever aperture from the opposite side of a support on which the casing may be mounted, the varying thickness of such support being accommodated by varying length to which the shaft may be protruded tln'ough the said bearings and switch lever and easing.

4:. In an electric switch device for alternatively closing two circuits, in combination with a mount, a resilient switch lever fulcrumed therein; an insulated contact button carried by the switch lever, three contacts each adapted for circuit wiring connection insulated on the mount in the arcuate path of the switch-carried button, the middle one of said contacts being shaped relatively to the button for interlocking engagement therewith by the reaction of the spring arm of the switch lever, the extreme contacts being positioned with respect to the middle for snap engagement between them respectively and the middle contact, and means for manual operation of the switch lever.

5. In the construction defined in claim -l, foregoing, the mount comprising two casing members cupped to form a chamber of which part is in each member; the switch lever having a shaft which extends through said chamber; journal bearings in said chamber for said shaft positioned in alignment on the two casing members respectively, the switch lever being extended from the shaft between said journal bearings, and the three contacts being mounted on one of said cars ing members within said chamber. 20

6. In an electric switch device, in combination with a casing comprising two members united to form a chamber; a central carrying switch lever having journal bearings within the chamber mounted on and extending through the opposite walls thereof; insulating contacts mounted Within the chamber having stems extended through the casing wall and adapted exteriorly for circuit wire connections; a shaft for the switch ml) accommodated by varying the protrusion ol' the shaft through the casing and the switch 10 lever in its bearings.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 25th clay of Sept, 1922.

WALTER VAN GUILDER. 

